24 Carrot Writing is pleased to present a guest blog by the wonderful Lauren Scheuer.

Lauren is the author and illustrator of Once Upon a Flock: Life with my Soulful Chickens, published by Atria Books (US) and by Souvenir Press (UK). Her work can be found in American Girl, Birdsand Blooms Magazine, at the Roger Williams Zoo in RI, and in her blog ScratchandPeck.blogspot.com.

We know you will enjoy Lauren's marketing tips.

Your Online Identity ---or---Marketing is Fun!

By Lauren Scheuer

I’m neither a great author nor a great illustrator.

But I do have success as author and illustrator because I have an edge: I LOVE Marketing.

Your appeal to publishers is measured not only by your creative work but by your public persona. Your publisher expects you to do a good amount of marketing, and your social media account is an essential platform. A strong online following is something publishers look for in an author.

Here are some simple guidelines for marketing yourself on Facebook and beyond:

Choose an identity. This one little chicken image is the icon that represents me in all social media, and I never change it. I may not always be writing about chickens, but that’s fine. It’s my art, it’s me. It’s on my business card too.

To come up with your own identity, make a list of things you love, or things you write about. Think of a simple image. It could be a cute animal, a a bottle of tequila, a dripping dagger… sketch it yourself or hire an artist to do it.

A simple photo portrait would work as well.

Maintain a flavor. On Facebook you can post photos, quotes, recipes, whatever you write about. But stay on subject. You are, or may one day be, a public figure.

Things I post: •Pictures of my chickens and other critters, and pictures of my artwork. Also, links to my Etsy page when I add a new product, and photos of me being amazing

Things I don’t post: •Drunken party-selfies•Family photos at the beach•That amazing plate of nachos I had at the restaurant last night

Join groups of like-minded people. If you write about drag-racing, then join all the related Facebook groups you can find: Grannies who Drag, Draggin’ Dragons, Greased Lightning Gals (…to name a few.) Post images to those groups and comment on other posts there. It’s a great way to make new friends.

Post regularly. When I’m in enthusiastic marketing-mode, I post to my own Facebook page daily. Otherwise, every few days keeps me on people’s radars.

Link to your other social media. For example, you can link your Twitter and Facebook accounts to make it look like you’re tweeting even when you aren’t. *

This is only the tip of the iceberg as far as social media marketing. I also use Linkedin, Instagram and Pinterest. Because every bit counts, and because it’s not a waste of time!

*I un-linked my Twitter account after November 8, for emotional reasons. Now I use Twitter only for unbridled political rage, while on Facebook I remain a mild-mannered chicken-lover.